Mailbox signal



Feb. 9, 1954 H. M. HORTON 2 ,668,657

MAIL-BOX SIGNAL Filed Oct. 8, 1951 Horace M. Harlan INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAILBOX SIGNAL Horace M. Horton, Gravette, Ark.

Application October 8, 1951, Serial No. 250,291

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in rural mail boxes and more particularly to a signal flag operating mechanism.

An important object of the invention is to provide door actuated means for releasing and lowering the flag upon an opening movement of the door and wherein the door may be closed while the flag remains in its lowered position.

Another object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efficient and dependable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the mechanism in position with the flag raised and the door closed;

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the flag lowered by the opening of the door and the flag holding the door in a horizontal position; and,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on a line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a rural mail box having a door 6 pivoted at its lower portion to the lower front portion of the box for vertical swinging opening and closing movement.

A flag 1 includes a strap metal staff 8 which is pivoted at its lower end to a side of the box on the outside thereof by a pivot pin 9 and a stop pin in is carried by the staff and projects through an arcuate slot I! in the side of the box to limit movement of the flag from a perpendicular raised position, as shown by full lines in Figure 1, to an inclined lower position as shown by dotted lines.

A locking bar or catch I2 is pivoted at one end on the inner end of pin l and extends forwardly in the box and is formed at its lower edge with a notch [3 adapted to receive a looking pin [4 in the box to hold the flag in its raised position.

A bracket I is secured to the inside of door 6 and to which one end of a link I6 is pivoted, while the other end of the link is formed with a slot I! engaging a pin l8 carried at the lower end of a vertically swingable lever l9 which is pivoted at an intermediate portion to the box by a pin or rivet 20 in a position with one upper longitudinal edge of the lever engaging the front 6 inclined end 2| of locking bar or catch I2. A stop bar 22 is attached to both the pi s. and.

20 and. the upper end of the bar 22 is formed with a lip or flange 23 which overlies the upper edge of locking bar or catch I2 to limit raising movement of the latter.

In the operation of the device, when door 6 is in its closed position, as shown in Figure 2, locking bar i2 is then free to drop downwardly to engage pin I4 in notch I3 by the raising of the flag to lock the flag in a raised position. An opening movement of door 6 will swing the upper end of lever I9 inwardly and push against the inclined front end 2i of locking bar 12 to raise the latter free of pin l4 and swing flag staff 8 rearwardly into its lowered position, as shown in Figure 3. Locking bar [2 is held in a raised inclined position by the upper end of lever [B riding under the looking bar. The lowering movement of the flag is limited by pin ID in slot l l and door 6 is held in a horizontal open position by lever l9 striking locking pin l4. Locking bar I2 is limited in its upward swinging movement by lip or flange 23 of bar 22.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In a mail box, the combination of a vertically swingable flag and a vertically swingable door, a locking bar pivotally connected at one end to the flag, said bar having a locking notch in its lower edge, a locking pin carried by the box and engaged in the notch of the bar to hold the flag in a raised position said locking bar having an inclined free end, a vertically swingable lever pivoted to the box and having its upper end slidably engaging the inclined end of the locking bar to initially raise the bar for releasing the latter from the pin and to subsequently move the bar in a direction to lower the flag, and means connecting the lower end of the lever to the door to actuate the lever in a locking bar releasing and flag lowering movement upon an opening movement of the door.

HORACE M. HORTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,451,876 Jewett Apr. 17, 1923 1,499,771 Guy July 1, 1924 1,927,736 Davis Sept. 19, 1933 

